Holiday Blues
by silverhelix428
Summary: Having his birthday so close to Christmas is getting Peter down, and it looks like it's up to Emma to cheer him up. Christmas-themed Peter/Emma fluff. Minor spoilers for Volume 5


**Title**- Holiday Blues  
**Author**- Victoria  
**Rating**- PG  
**Summary**- Having his birthday so close to Christmas is getting Peter down, and it looks like it's up to Emma to cheer him up.  
**Warnings**- Some spoilers for Volume 5  
**Author's Note**- I spent a great deal of time trying to write a semi-serious Pemma oneshot, but it wasn't going too well, so I've set that aside for a little while to write some fluff. Who doesn't love some good fluff? Anyway, I have this theory that Peter's birthday is December 24th, and it's going to crop up in a lot of my fics set around that time.

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~*Holiday Blues*~

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Holiday cheer had lodged itself firmly in the employees of Mercy Heights Hospital. It was a week before Christmas, and sprigs of holly and pine garlands were draped over every available surface, and the rec room contained a large decorated tree, which had been enthusiastically decorated by the residents of the pediatric ward. Even Emma had conceded a few points to the Christmas spirit with a festive red-and-white sparkly sweater and some window decorations on the window of the file room.

In fact, there was only one member of the Mercy Heights staff who wasn't exhibiting a frightening level of Christmas cheer. Peter Petrelli might have the goodwill-to-men part down pat, but he was sadly lacking in the joyous spirit of Christmastide. If someone wished him "Merry Christmas," he would greet them with apparent warmth, but the few people who really knew him could see that it was hollow. He frowned- probably unconsciously- every time his eyes rested on the decorations throughout the hospital.

"So," Emma asked one day, about three days before Christmas Eve, "Are you going to the Christmas party this year?"

Peter shook his head. "I wasn't planning on it," he replied dejectedly.

She raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What's wrong?" she probed.

"What do you mean?" he asked, even as his expression fell into a darker frown.

"I mean you," she explained. "You've been a regular Grinch for days!"

He shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "Guess I'm just... not really in the Christmas spirit this year."

They were sitting in the file room, him slumped pathetically in her desk chair, while she perched on the edge of the desk. As he ran a hand over his face tiredly, she sighed. She hated seeing him like this. For the most part, she knew Peter to be a happy person, and it seemed to her that Christmas should be exactly his time of year. If she'd had to take a guess, she'd have figured him for the type to throw a massive Christmas party for all his friends.

On the other hand, though, Peter had surprisingly few of those. There was his partner, Hesam, and there was his time-traveling friend Hiro, and that was really about it. She felt privileged to be able to count herself as part of that small circle- no matter _how_ much she wished there might be more between them. When they had first met a few months ago, she had thought that maybe things were leading that direction, but he had never made a move and she decided she'd imagined the whole thing.

She shook her head, both to dismiss the unwanted, distracting thoughts, and to deny his previous statement. "It's more than that," she insisted. "I know you; this isn't like you."

Peter met her eyes, a regretful smile on his face. "It's stupid," he said finally. "It's just that... my birthday is December twenty-fourth."

"Ugh, that's a terrible day for a birthday!" she exclaimed. "Right before Christmas?"

"It's not so bad," he said. "I mean, it's not like a birthday is really anything that special. It's not something to go all-out for anyway." Then he sighed. "I've got to go. My shift starts in a few minutes."

"Good luck," she said as he rose to his feet and headed for the door. He paused for a moment in the doorway to turn back and flash her a grin that (almost) looked like his usual self. As she watched him retreat down the hall, Emma resolved that this year she was going to give Peter the happy birthday he had clearly been denied many times in the past.

--

Peter stared into the glass of cheap eggnog he was holding, and wondered for the zillionth time why he had let Hesam talk him into coming. The annual Mercy Heights Christmas party was always held on December 24th, and Peter could think of about a hundred ways his birthday could have been better-spent. There was always a shortage of paramedics willing to be on-call Christmas Eve, and he had been planning on taking on another shift today until his partner managed to talk him into coming tonight.

He sighed and set the glass down on a card table that had been set up in the corner of the rec room. The eggnog wasn't even worth drinking.

This entire travesty might have been bearable if Hesam had actually stuck around for more than a few seconds. Unfortunately, the redheaded nurse from the ICU whom his partner had been flirting shamelessly with for days had stolen the other man away within minutes of their entering the room. Now Peter was left alone standing uncomfortably by the piano and watching the other happy people talk and laugh and sing Christmas carols off-key.

Okay, maybe on second thought he didn't really want to participate that much...

But still. It would be nice to have someone to talk to at this thing. Actually, it would have been nice to have someone, anyone, remember that in addition to being Christmas Eve, it was also his birthday. His mother had left a message on his answering machine this morning, but that was it.

Even Emma seemed to have forgotten their conversation of a few days ago. In fact, he had hardly seen her all day. The one time he'd seen her, when he first came in to work, she had quickly ducked out of sight as if purposefully avoiding him. Great. The one person he really wanted to see, and she was hiding. Talking to Emma had become the highlight of his days amazingly quickly; his feelings for her had grown over the last few of months from curiosity to friendship to a tremendous crush to where he was now. That is, hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with her. It was amazing to Peter. He'd always loved quickly and easily, but this was a new extreme even for him.

Actually, that was at least part of the reason he hadn't argued too much when Hesam convinced him to come tonight. Based on Emma's question a few days ago, he had thought she was planning on being here. Apparently, he'd been wrong, because he hadn't seen her all night.

At that moment, though, the woman herself walked into the rec room, looking around for someone. Peter's stomach bottomed out at the sight of her. He had always thought Emma to be beautiful, but tonight she looked... well, she looked appropriately like an angel. Her shimmery silver top sparkled in the glow of the twinkle lights, and her golden hair gleamed in contrast. At that moment, her dark eyes caught on him and she smiled. She beckoned him over to her, and he hurried across the room.

"I didn't know you were here!" he exclaimed.

Emma grinned. "I wasn't until a few minutes ago. I've been looking all over for you. Come on!" She seized his wrist and lead him away down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" he asked, despite knowing that she wouldn't even know he was speaking without seeing his face.

She seemed to intuitively know he would be asking, though, because she said, "I have a surprise for you."

When they arrived outside the file room, Peter was surprised to see that the blinds were pulled down. He didn't question it, though, when Emma turned to him. "Close your eyes," she instructed, taking his hand. Peter did as he was told, trying to ignore the electric sensations running up his arm. He heard the door of the file room opening, and then the gentle tug on his hand brought him inside. "Don't open your eyes yet," she cautioned as she dropped his hand. He felt oddly bereft without it.

He heard the sound of a match striking, and was tempted to open his eyes, but he didn't want to spoil whatever it was Emma had done.

At last, she said, "Alright, you can open them now."

Peter opened his eyes and stared around him in wonder. Every inch of the file room was decorated with balloons and multicolored streamers. A large banner reading "Happy Birthday Peter" was hung across the far wall. His eyes locked on the woman standing before him, holding a piece of cake and grinning.

Unable to contain his delight, Peter smiled broadly. "Emma, I... I don't know what to say. You did all this for me?"

Her brilliant smile echoed his own. "I wanted to make up for everyone else," she said. "One of my cousins has a birthday right before Christmas, and she hates it. Everybody sort of lumps Christmas together with her birthday." She held out the plate with the cake to him.

He took it from her and took a bite, then blinked in surprise. "Red velvet... this is my favorite. How did you know?"

"You mentioned it to Hesam three weeks ago," she said.

Peter looked questioningly at her. "Hesam was in on this?"

Emma smirked. "I had to have _someone_ to convince you to come tonight."

He stared from her to the cake and back again. "This is amazing," he said. "I can't believe you went to all this trouble. Emma, thank you."

"And not a Christmas decoration in sight," she said, looking simultaneously self-satisfied and strangely nervous.

For a moment, Peter thought it was true. Then he spotted a cluster of white berries hanging from the ceiling fan and looked questioningly at her. "It looks like you missed something, though," he said, mostly teasing, even as he considered the possibilities the mistletoe presented.

Nervousness overtook satisfaction on Emma's face, and she took a step toward him, placing herself directly beneath the mistletoe as he did so. "Actually, no," she said. "I left that on purpose." She took the cake out of his hands, set it on her desk, and kissed him on the lips. His arms went around her and he suddenly found himself kissing her as if his life depended on it.

After some time (Peter wasn't exactly sure how long), they came up for air. He stared at her, brushing a lock of gold hair behind her ear gently. "Wow," he murmured.

She smiled, a little abashed. "Happy birthday," she said quietly.

Somehow, Peter wasn't able to manage anything more than another strangled, "Wow."

Emma gave a nervous laugh. "That was probably impulsive of me, but I--"

Finally he found his voice. "I'm glad you did," he interrupted. "Emma, the fact is, I fell pretty hard for you." Her face lit up in that delighted grin that was so precious to him because it was so rare, and Peter couldn't resist the temptation to kiss her in return...


End file.
